POW diaries - Captain Percival Lowe, item 55

• June 20, 2017 20:44:25 Annick Rodriguez

                                                          29.

  We fed  at the top of the room with him. He had a private

  lamp, of here only oil lamps were in use. He also ( a very 

  important point) had the Hun Sous officier in his pay.

  At the beginning the days slipped along more or less uneventfully.

  Before Xmas we were told on appel that his excellency the General

  had been asked if the prisoners might receive luxuries such

  as chocolate from home and he had decided that on no

  account could this priv[insert] i [/insert]aledge be granted.This was taken as

  an excuse for removing any food stuff which our parcels

  might contain. The excuse for this robbery was that it would

  be given the German Red Cross. One was thus frequently

  asked to sign for a parcel which was opened in your presence

  and the contents solemnly taken away. For some reason the

  French were allowed their food stuff, owing it was said to

  an agreement with the French Government.

  I found that the Belgians & French celebrated Xmas on Xmas

  Eve. Not that there was any celebration here. The night

  however was made hideous with church Bells in the town.

  Our Xmas dinner in Casemate 8 is worth recording. It did

  not arrive till about 4 p.m. Then we had a kind of sago

  sweet soup. After an interval came an underdone chunk

  of pork- My portion was all fat. We waited a considerable

  time for potatoes there being our staple diet. It turned out

  however that none were forthcoming. The German in charge

  of the kitchen arrangements being drunk. Followed 3 preserved

  cherries on a saucer. We solemnly gave each other presents

  of a value of about 2d each.

  I had fortunately received in a packet a smak tin of

  tobacco. I got it just in time. By making but one

  pipe a day I made it last some time.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

• June 20, 2017 20:42:17 Annick Rodriguez

                                                          29.

  We fed  at the top of the room with him. He had a private

  lamp, of here only oil lamps were in use. He also ( a very 

  important point) had the Hun Sous officier in his pay.

  At the beginning the days slipped along more or less uneventfully.

  Before Xmas we were told on appel that his excellency the General

  had been asked if the prisoners might receive luxuries such

  as chocolate from home and he had decided that on no

  account could this priv[insert] i [/insert]aledge be granted.This was taken as

  an excuse for removing any food stuff which our parcels

  might contain. The excuse for this robbery was that it would

  be given the German Red Cross. One was thus frequently

  asked to sign for a parcel which was opened in your presence

  and the contents solemnly taken away. For some reason the

  French were allowed their food stuff, owing it was said to

  an agreement with the French Government.

  I found that the Belgians & French celebrated Xmas on Xmas

  Eve. Not that there was any celebration here. The night

  however was made hideous with church Bells in the town.

  Our Xmas dinner in Casemate 8 is worth recording. It did

  not arrive till about 4 p.m. Then we had a kind of sago

  sweet soup. After an interval came an underdone chunk

  of pork- My portion was all fat. We waited a considerable

  time for potatoes there being our staple diet. It turned out

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• June 20, 2017 20:39:05 Annick Rodriguez

                                                          29.

  We fed  at the top of the room with him. He had a private

  lamp, of here only oil lamps were in use. He also ( a very 

  important point) had the Hun Sous officier in his pay.

  At the beginning the days slipped along more or less uneventfully.

  Before Xmas we were told on appel that his excellency the General

  had been asked if the prisoners might receive luxuries such

  as chocolate from home and he had decided that on no

  account could this priv[insert] i [/insert]aledge be granted.This was taken as

  an excuse for removing any food stuff which our parcels

  might contain. The excuse for this robbery was that it would

  be given the German Red Cross. One was thus frequently

  asked to sign for a parcel which was opened in your presence

  and the contents solemnly taken away. For some reason the

  
  

  
  

  
  

  • Show revision
  • Compare to current version
  • Compare to previous version

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